The Makeover!

  Living on the Bayou, I have little opportunity to dress to the nines.  I have always said that I am more a jeans and flannel shirt type girl and can see no use in "putting on airs" just to please anyone.  Don't get me wrong, if the need arises, I clean up pretty good.  Otherwise, I feel that the alligators and otters don't give a flying flip if I am wearing moccasins or high heels and, just so you will know, moccasins are a whole lot more comfortable!  But, even though some would probably argue that it is highly needed, this makeover was not for me.

  Last month, I was running short on time and inspiration for the Fourth Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  I needed a treasure chest and I needed it fast!  The brain was clicking furiously but no idea was developing.  What could I use?  I sat in my rocking chair pondering this fact.  My feet were propped up on an old crate that once held cast iron skillets.  Since the box was sturdy and a good size, I kept it to use just as I was now...as a foot rest.  I looked at the box.  Size...good.  Condition...good.  Aesthetics...terrible!  I did not need "Wentzell's Cast Iron Ware" on the side of my treasure chest and that logo was burned into the wood, albeit, crookedly done.  That had to go!

  Sanding the box was easy.  This got rid of most of the logo.  A good coat of paint and antiquing did a fine job of covering the mess.  Now for those decorations.  I did not want to put too much time and effort into the box since I was running behind schedule as it was.  So....a few metal "trinkets" that had been salvaged from hurricane debris so came into play.  Those, a hasp and some rhinestones was all it took to give me the look I wanted.  My treasure box was complete and ready to be filled.  Of course, a padlock was needed to guard the treasures and make the chest a part of the hunt!

  This whole makeover just goes to show that sometimes what we think is just an ugly old rock can be a jewel in disguise.  My shabby crate turned into something a bit more elaborate and a lot more interesting with just a little "polish".  It sort of pays to not to overlook something...or someone...just because of a few flaws.  Those dents and dings tell a story but given a chance that rock can shine and sparkle.  

The Octopus in my Greenhouse!

  During the month of October, the Little Bayou House and the surrounding outbuildings are usually transformed into something totally different than what they usually are.  During this time, many changes are made to accommodate the Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  This is a family/close friend oriented bit of entertainment that Son and I throw together (with lots of help from Mark and Darling Daughter, Elizabeth!) each year.  It has been fun for all, it seems.  This year, however, I had to scale back things a bit.  Health issues stood in the way of any elaborate scheming so the hunt is limited to several rooms in the house, a bit of the yard and the greenhouse.  Hopefully, next year will see my health vastly improved so I can go back to a more exciting hunt.

  Still, there is an octopus in the greenhouse!  Yep, for some strange reason, I decided that an octopus painting would be the perfect prop for one of the puzzles that needed to be solved to obtain a clue.  The fact that it is an octopus has nothing at all to do with the clue hunt except that it has eight legs and eight is a lovely number!  A scrap of plywood (actually about 2 feet by 3 feet!), lots of paint and a couple of afternoons were all that was required to get my friend octopus in order....at least for my part.  Son, on the other hand, had to deal with the mechanical part of the puzzle and, as usual, he did an outstanding job of interpreting my "dream".  The prop works like a charm!  (Yes, dream.  Most of the puzzles we make come to me in dreams.  No wonder I am always tired in the morning!  I work all night!)

  Since Son hung the octopus in the greenhouse back in September, I have grown accustomed to it being there when I go in to water the plants. It will seem strange to remove it once the hunt is over at the end of the month.  I am pondering....just what do you do with a huge board painted with a sea creature??  Where should I put this guy?  Perhaps the octopus will become a permanent fixture in the greenhouse since it would seem a tad out of place in the Little Bayou House.  I could live with that!  The octopus in my greenhouse...pretty fun, if you ask me!

 

Ready to Go!

  With the start of the first clue hunt of the season bearing down on me, I think everything is ready to go....I hope.  I hope that I have not forgotten to do something important like set the clues!  Today, the main focus was on the tea party for the guests.  I baked lots of pretty party foods that would be suitable for the theme and had fun setting the table with dishes that I do not normally use. Since I am a bit more "country clunky" (to use one of Mom's terms), fine china and crystal rarely (if ever) get used here in the Little Bayou House.  BUT!  This is a tea party!  So everything has to be fit for the Queen, even if that queen reigns only over the Bayou.

 Speaking of tables, there are two other tabletops filled with the most odd assortment of trinkets.  These tablescapes are to be examined by the team members.  Perhaps, hidden amongst the oddities, there are a few clues that will lead them to other places.  Can you spot the clues?  Nope, there are no written clues in my hunts.  The players have to be astute and find clues where none seem to be hidden.  An item simply "out of place" could be the answer to finding the next clue.  A series of locked boxes, mind puzzles and tools will come into play during their search for answers.  In previous hunts, the teams have done well and solved the mysteries that abound on the Bayou. They have solved murders, escaped locked rooms and debunked legends.  This year, things are a bit different.  This is the first time that they will actually be hunting a treasure!

  So, the table is set, the food is prepared and the clues are all in place.  The stage is set and I am just waiting for the role-players to arrive.  This should be fun for all...me, especially!

"It'll be fun!"

 " Have a tea party! I'll help! It will be fun!"  Darling Daughter made this enthusiastic announcement way back in January when we were discussing this year's clue hunt.  Each year, I serve some sort of meal to each team to be eaten while I discuss rules and regulations, give a few hints on how to solve the mystery and generally welcome my guests. Since this year's hunt revolves around an eccentric old lady (me!), Elizabeth burst forth with her idea of the tea party.  I reiterate here..."I'll help!"  Hmmm.  Now that it is time for the first team to come to the Little Bayou House, Darling Daughter is half way around the world on a vacation.  Was that perfect timing or what?  "It'll be fun!"  Hmm....yeah.  It might be fun if I knew what I was doing throwing a tea party!  Let me make a pot of red beans and rice, let me stir up a vat of gumbo, let me fry a few fish and make hushpuppies...don't ask me to host a tea party!  

 Seriously, though, I do not mind.  It will be fun...I hope.  And...with any tea party, you have to have teacups and teapots.  This was the easy part. I have a lot of odd teacups and saucers so setting the table was fine. Those teapots, though, just about overwhelmed me. I did not realize that I owned so many of those things.  I literally have a collection of teapots! Why do I have this fine collection?  I have no clue. I think perhaps I do not own the collection.  More like, it owns me.  It seems that teapots, like a lot of other items in the house, come to visit and forget to leave.  Their visits linger on and on until they become permanent fixtures.  I have more teapots than Carter has liver pills.  There are teapots from neighbors, teapots from mom, teapots from grandmother, teapots from great-grandmother and even one from a great-aunt's sister.  (I never met her but I have her teapot!)  So, what better time to use these odd teapots than tomorrow evening at the first run of the clue hunt!  The tea party is on and a bunch of little old ladies of the past are going to be present....at least their teapots will be!......."It will be fun!", she said.

 

 

First Fire of the Season!

  Fall has just hit the Bayou and I have already made the first fire of the season in the old wood stove.  The old, cast-iron parlor stove never looked so inviting as it does right now.  The glowing embers give the entire room a bit of ambiance that it lacked just yesterday.  This stove is one that my dear Uncle Alfred gave to me just before he moved from next door.  He and I were big buddies so when he offered the old stove to me, I was quite honored. "Crawl up under the house and on the west side there is a stove.  You might have to dig around a bit to find all of the pieces but it is there and should be in good shape." he told me. Thankfully, my oldest son was still at home and did not mind going up under the big house.  Granted there was an ideal crawl space under the house that allowed plenty of movement.  My son toted out piece after piece and Uncle Alfred helped me to assemble the stove in his front yard.  We worked until he was satisfied that all the parts had been found. The stove has sat proudly in my dining room since that day and I would not have it any other way.  Every time I use it, I think of this dear old man and my buddy!

  Now, back to that fire and why it has been lit even though our temperatures were in the triple digits this afternoon.  No, I am not daft.  No, I did not have a fit of sudden chills. I just wanted the ambiance that only the old stove could offer.  I promise that it did not heat the Little Bayou House any hotter than it already was!

  The lighting of the old parlor stove is a "parlor trick".  It is merely a string of orange Halloween lights, some bubblewrap and a few twigs from the yard.  I needed the "look" for the upcoming Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  The dining room has been transformed into a study so the fire was a must.  Obviously, there is nothing better than curling up in a comfy chair in front of a fire place while reading a good book.  Fireplace with glowing embers...check.  Comfy chair....check.  Good book....check! The stage is set!

  I am sure that in the coming weeks, the parlor stove will be called into actual use.  Since nothing has been done that cannot be "undone", I am good to go.  In the meantime, I will light my "fire" and dream of cold, winter nights.....and a good book!

Just a Hint of Quirkiness!

  After a couple of rain-free days, the clouds are looming on the horizon once again.  Not that I mind as a bit of rain would be good for the garden and would also give me a chance to work on decorations for the upcoming Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  October (and the hunt) is not creeping up on me.  It is coming on like a herd of elephants at a full stampede pace.  I definitely need a few rainy days to complete things indoors.  So...bring on the rain!

  Speaking of the clue hunt and all of its preparations, things are going pretty well.  The Little Bayou House has received its makeover in most rooms.  The transformation from a livable, working home to a musty, dusty manor of a quirky old lady (me!) has been a fun one.  Face it..not everyone gets to totally make over their house for a one month duration. The clue hunt allows me to do that!

  It is not often that I have the opportunity to do things "off the wall" so I seem to go to the extreme when given the chance.  To me, it is amazing how ordinary items can take on a new persona just by placing them in a new setting.  Over one of our dining room tables (yes, I have two distinct dining areas besides the eat-in kitchen), we have a rather funky light. The light was meant to hang in a vaulted ceiling foyer but since I can never do things normally (according to my kids), I decided it should become a chandelier over the table.  There was just one trouble.  It was too plain! The light needed some "bling" for this clue hunt so I scavenged the thrift stores for odd pieces of jewelry that would catch and reflect the light. This worked wonders!  The light now has a definite eclectic and eccentric look about it!  This unconventional look will have all my guests pondering if the light holds a clue.  Does it?  I will never tell!

Not Grandmother's Clock

  When I was just a tyke running around barefoot (Oh, wait! I still do that!), I have fond memories of staying at my grandparents' home a good bit.  Unlike my own grandbabies who live far away from the Bayou, I was blessed to be able to visit my grandparents a good bit, if not on a daily basis.  I am lucky to see my littles twice a year and it breaks my heart. Times spent with Grandmother and Granddad were some of my happiest times.  At their house, there were no chores and Granddad would always "find" a cookie for me in the old cookie tin that sat high on the shelf in the kitchen.  My grandparents' home was far different from the old farm house of Mom and Pop.  In the farm house, there were things of necessity and not many doodads purely for decoration.  Times were hard and money tight so unless it was a "hand-me-down" from some aunt, Mom had little to work with when doing any interior decorating. Knickknacks were usually dimestore stuff and not the finer things I saw in other homes.  At Grandmother's place, it was like a wonderland to a little kid.  Granddad had a way of finding "good" quality items that needed a bit of repair.  He would often repair and restore antiques to fill the home.  This made their place a magical spot to be for a little kid with a very active imagination.

  One of the things that always mesmerized me was an anniversary clock that sat on the massive bureau in the hall.  A chair sat next to the bureau and allowed me the perfect vantage point to view the clock.  The face of the clock was handpainted with tiny flowers and the hands were ornately carved.  From the glass dome to the small balled spinning pendulum, the clock held me spellbound.  Grandmother kept the clock wound so that the chimes worked perfectly and would echo down the long hallway.  At night, the soft tinkling would lull me to sleep into a dreamland filled with happy thoughts.  I loved that clock and always hoped that some day, it would be mine.  That did not happen.  I have no idea where the clock went after my grandparents died.  Hopefully, some family member is fondly displaying the clock and enjoying the lovely chimes.

  For the past few days, I have been decorating for the upcoming Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  Since the hunt is to be set in an eccentric old lady's home (duh...wonder who that is supposed to be???), I figured that I needed a nice clock to complete the look on one table.  I knew just what would work!  In a thrift store just recently, I stumbled across an anniversary clock that reminded me of Grandmother's.  Of course, this is a modern version that runs on batteries and does not chime but at least the pendulum does spin!  It will suffice as a clue hunt prop.  Placing the clock on the table with some dusty (actually new but made to look old and dusty) flowers, a few antique boxes and other knickknacks, I thought of Grandmother.  She would have so loved the Clue Hunt on the Bayou and would have surely been right in the midst of it.  Maybe my eccentricity comes from her.  Maybe she is just lending me a hand with the decorating and nudged me to buy a copy of her clock.  Maybe I am just too sentimental.